Adolfo Q2

What I've Read:
(October 15, 2010)
I began reading An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks, an author and a brain surgeon. I did not get very far into this book for several reason--not interesting and too high of a reading level for myself. What I've read, however, has been about Oliver's encounters with his patience. It has made me realize that I, truly don't want to be in the medical field.
(October 22, 2010)
I am continuing to read An Anthropologist on Mars and still no interest has been sparks. Thus far the author tells about his patient who was involved in a car accident and became color blind. Though it is interesting to some extend how the patient copes with his loss of seeing color, I am still not captivated in the writing. It is written rather plainly. It does, again, continue to confirm that the medical field is not for me.
(October 29, 2010)
I was in my English class and noticed a stack of short stories on my teachers desk. One titled "The Other Wife" by Colette attracted my eye and I asked the teacher for a copy. The story is about a man and his wife eating out at a restaurant, he spots his ex-wife in the restaurant, and he tells his current wife. The story is rather short but interesting. It makes me think about things, important or not, and how we tend to forget about them and put them off. When we once again encounter them, it makes is realize why try to forget about them or how much we miss them.
What I am Reading Now
(November 5, 2010)
I began reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy. Thus far, it is a great book, after all it is written by one of the greatest authors. So far the reading makes me question people, question people's motives and genuineness. Why do people want to befriend me? Because they like me or because they see a way of benefiting? Ivan Ilyich, the main character, dies and his colleagues and "friends", instead of being sad, see his death as a promotion opportunity.
(November 12, 2010)
Continuing The Death of Ivan Ilyich, I see more and more ungenuine motives. I see so called friends attending funerals and putting on an act of sadness and showing empathy to the family of the loss. This well written novel is very interesting. It is a hard read and I am beginning to struggle, but I plan on pushing through.
(November 19, 2010)
I've began reading reading Push by Sapphire, and I've been completely trapped--the book is great. Though it's not written in a Standard English, meaning it may not be a hard read, the journey it takes the reader on surpasses anything written in Standard English. The book still is very challenging, that is, in terms of content. The author describes horrible instances in which Precious the protagonist was abused in great detail. As I'm reading, I have to stop and just absorb all the facts. That is, that there are many people in the world that are abused and many times continue with no consequences to the perpetrator. Many times I catch myself thinking to myself that there is no reason for me to feel bad for myself or my situation because though I already know that many people are in much worse situations, Push makes me realize that better than any preacher.
(November 26, 2009)
I have finished reading Push and, as cliché as it may sound, truly am a different person. Going through Precious' horrific pain of sexual abuse and neglect, my eyes have been opened. I'm disgusted by the fact that there are people who do things that Carl (Precious' father) do to others. What disgusts me most, however, is the fact that many times nothing is done to solve the problem. Living in the U.S., I like to believe these thing happen only in third world countries or anywhere but here in the U.S.. Push made it very clear to me that my theory is not true. Now that I know the truth I would really like to go to the next level and contribute in helping victims of abuse.
What I am Thinking About
I have noticed that my reading comprehension skills have dramatically improved. Thanks to my independent reading and improved reading comprehension skills, as its result, my class reading has become less burdensome. I have actually for the first time been assigned multiple books at the same time(not a first) and actually completed both reading and my independent reading( a first). When I finish reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich, I plan on reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok and, afterwards, Push, the one Molly presented, because it seemed really interesting.
(December 6, 2010)
After reading the books I've read, I realized that I don't like books by the way they are written but by the content they contain. If I can relate to it, meaning that I have experienced ii, somebody I know has, or I can perceive it as realistic, I really like it more. So now, I plan on reading more books similar to Push.